


A Princess Returns

by TitansRule



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Adding characters as I go, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And it's reliable, Canon Divergent from 2x01, Emma has a superpower, Emma is a princess, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fix-it fic, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'll put a warning, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Originally a plot bunny, Rated M for some chapters not all, all of them - Freeform, but now it's escaped and is multiplying on me, complete for now, seriously late to the party with the ships, since the bunnies won’t leave, unlike in canon, will be rewriting and fixing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24541441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitansRule/pseuds/TitansRule
Summary: The curse is broken, and Emma tries to find her place in this new world, where she has parents that love her - oh, and she's a Princess.  In which communication is important and Emma's superpower always works (since they seemed to forget about it after S2). Starts after 1x22 and then loosely follows canon with my own twists and turns in what I would have liked to see happen. Now being rewritten and reposted as 'Ohana Means Family'
Relationships: Pinocchio | August Booth/Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't actually got around to watching Once Upon a Time yet - it's on my Netflix queue - but I keep getting videos pop up on my YouTube. And it kind of struck me how - when they're back in the Enchanted Forest, they revert to Snow and David being the King and Queen, but back in Storybrooke, that kind of gets ignored. So this might be out of character and I might have some of the lore wrong. Apologies in advance.

As the purple mist washed over them, Emma instinctively gathered her son into her arms, trying to shield him from whatever was coming.

Nothing happened.

“Well, that was anti-climactic,” she said.

“Magic,” Mother Superior whispered. “That was magic. It’s back.”  


“So that’s it then?” Emma asked. “Curse is broken, and now you guys can go home?”  


Mother Superior shook her head. “No. At least, not to my knowledge. None of us can fix it. Regina maybe. Rumplestiltskin, possibly. I doubt either of them are going to say anything.”

“Well, what about … Henry, what do you think you’re doing?” Emma asked, distracted by the sight of her son heading for the doors.

“We have to go find Grandma and Grandpa!”

Emma’s heart stuttered in her chest. Her parents had completely slipped her mind. She pushed them from her mind for the time being. “I don’t think so. Back into bed.”  


“But …” Henry began.

“You were dead not even ten minutes ago,” Emma said.

“I wasn’t dead,” Henry said. “I was cursed.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “Yes, well, you were born in _this_ realm, and I grew up with medicine and not magic, so I want you to stay here for a bit until we know there aren’t going to be any side effects.”

Henry sighed. “But Grandma and Grandpa …”  
“… will probably come here,” Emma said. “I called Mary Margaret and told her about the state you were in. Back into bed.”

Henry finally allowed her to shepherd him back to the hospital bed and tuck him in, smoothing his hair back from his face. “Thanks Mom.”  


Emma’s heart skipped once more. Despite all of his faith that Regina was the Evil Queen, he had always called her by her given name. Until now. “You’re welcome, kiddo. Now,” she straightened and turned back to Mother Superior. “Sorry, who are you? Now you remember, I mean?”  


“The Blue Fairy, Your Highness,” she answered, inclining her head respectfully.

“I’m not …” Emma trailed off. “Except I am. Aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid so,” Blue said with a smile.

“Yeah, well, I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” Emma said. “About how I got sent through with a seven year old instead of my mother.”

Blue winced. “Yes, I’m sure your parents aren’t going to be happy.”  


“I’m not either,” Emma said. “But back to the situation at hand. You said that you couldn’t send us back to the Enchanted Forest.”

“The fairies can’t,” Blue said. “We have no fairy dust here and no wands. Without those, we’re stuck.”  
“Is any of it in Gold’s shop?” Emma asked.

“Possibly,” Blue said. “He won’t hand it over without a deal, and it’s best not to attempt it.”  


“What about Jefferson?” Emma asked.

“Who?” Blue asked.

“The … The Hatter,” Emma said. “He lives in a house outside of town; he kidnapped me because he thought I could make his hat work - they work as portals.”

“It’s worth asking,” Blue conceded. “We’ll take a trip out there to check on him.”

One of the other nurses came rushing in, hastily curtseying. “Your Highness - your parents are here.”

“Any chance I can get people to call me Emma?” Emma asked.

“Very unlikely, Your Highness,” Dr Whale said.

Emma sighed. “How about Sheriff Swan?”  


“That, you might have better luck with,” Whale said.

“Anyway, can you please keep Henry in bed?” Emma asked. “I have a discussion I need to have.” A horrible thought struck her, one that she couldn’t believe had taken so long. “And something I need to do.”  


“Not a problem, Your …” Dr Whale paused. “Sheriff.”

“Thanks. I’ll send them up,” she called over her shoulder, hurrying out of the room.

She met Mary Margaret and David - _her parents_ \- halfway to the front door.

“Emma!”  


“Emma!”  


“No time,” she said hastily, rushing past them. “Know we need to talk but August was dying and I need to make sure he’s okay.”

Somehow, she was unsurprised when the two followed her, easily keeping pace.  


“Henry?” Mary Margaret asked.

“He’s fine,” Emma answered. “Mother’s love counts as true love.”  


“Regina?” David asked.

“She left.” Emma dodged the crowd that swarmed her as they exited, grateful when David’s voice rose above the voices - no longer the voice of an animal shelter volunteer, but that of a prince, one that was immediately obeyed.

“Let her through!”

Emma threw a thanks over her shoulder and broke into a sprint in the direction of Granny’s.

The door was unlocked but the front desk unmanned, presumably because Ruby and Granny had left to find their friends. Emma ran up the stairs, almost tripping in her haste, and hammered on the door of his room, wishing she hadn’t pulled it closed behind her.

“August! August, it’s Emma!”

There was no answer.

“Emma?”

Emma didn’t turn around, taking a shaky breath. “Hang on.” Steeling herself, she turned the knob, temporarily relieved when the door opened.

Her relief was incredibly short-lived.

August was lying where she had left him, just as wooden - and just as still.

“August?” Emma whispered, crossing the room.

Mary Margaret sucked in a breath from behind her. “What … Pinocchio?”

He didn’t respond to either of them.

“You need to be okay,” Emma murmured, dropping to her knees beside the bed. “You need to. I … I fixed it. You said I could fix it.”

A hand landed on her shoulder. “Emma …”  


Emma shook her head. “I … I can’t …”  


“Then don’t,” Mary Margaret said softly. “Forget I’m your mother for a moment. Tell Mary Margaret. Your friend.”  


Emma closed her eyes, gripping Augusts’s cold wooden hand. “He was the only other one not under the curse. He’s been trying to get me to believe for months and I thought that … I thought he was just trying to overcompensate.”  


“Overcompensate for what?” Mary Margaret asked.

“He was the boy that found me,” Emma said, almost monotonously. “I thought he’d got it into his head that he should have done more for me, even though he couldn’t have done. And he’d made up this story in his head to make himself feel better. I didn’t believe him, but figured he was harmless. But he was trying so hard because he was turning to wood, because he was supposed to help me, and I wouldn’t let him.” She choked back a sob. “And I had to leave him here because I had to go and save Henry, but I was hoping …”  


“I don’t understand,” Mary Margaret said softly. “How did he even get there? The wardrobe only took one person.”

Emma swiped her her face, as a tear escaped. “No, it took two.”  


“The Blue Fairy said it only took one,” David said.

“Then she lied,” Emma said simply. “Gepetto told August it was his duty to look after me. And he couldn’t because he was only a child, but the magic … I don’t understand it.”

“I’m so sorry, Emma,” Mary Margaret whispered. “I wish they’d told us … I would have taken him through with us.”

“Absolutely,” David agreed. “Or we could have figured something else out.”

The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently. “We should find his father.”  


“You won’t …” Emma trailed off, unsure what she was worried about.

“I think this is punishment enough,” Mary Margaret said.

Emma nodded, her eyes fixed on his face. “He was supposed to be okay. I broke the curse. He was supposed to be okay.”

“Would you like a moment?”

Emma swallowed hard and nodded again. “Yes please.”

There was a brief pause, then lips pressed to the top of her head in a soft kiss. A few moments later, the door closed behind them.

The first sob choked its way out of her throat and she almost doubled over with the effort of keeping quiet. “Oh, August, I am so sorry … I wish I’d believed you sooner … I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn … I wish … I wish I’d let you in. I wish I’d trusted my gut. I _knew_ you weren’t lying, I should have trusted that you weren’t mad, and now you’re gone and … And now I have my _parents_ and they’re _younger_ than me and I spent all that time hating them because I thought they didn’t want me and they _did_ and … and I’m a mother now, and I know I was before, but Henry wasn’t _mine_ and now he is and I don’t know how to be a mother - I know how to be the cool birth mom who sneaks him out for ice cream, not the mother that makes him do his homework and go to bed on time and …” She choked out a laugh. “And now I know how they feel.”

Emma sighed, her thumb rubbing circles on his hand as though he could still feel her. “I’m so sorry, August.” She rose to her feet, her gaze falling on his eyes, still wide open, painted in place. 

Their relationship had been one of friendship, mistrust, flirtation, and two lives entwined more than she had realised - or believed.

So many times their words had died, leaving them with a heavy tension between them, one that would only ever be fully resolved one way, and yet neither of them had taken that path - Emma, because she was terrible at letting people in, and August …

Who knew why he didn’t. 

The way he looked at her … It certainly wasn’t because he didn’t want her.

Lightning surely couldn’t strike twice in one day. 

Of course - she glanced over her shoulder - the door was closed.

And she might not know her mother, but she knew Mary Margaret well enough to know that ‘giving her some space’ meant ‘waiting downstairs’.

She had nothing to lose.

And everything to gain.

Slowly, hesitantly, she bent over him, the same way she had Henry earlier that day.

“I love you,” she breathed into the vanishing space between them.

Her lips pressed against his, cold, wooden and unyielding beneath her.

But he didn’t move. 

Of course he didn’t.

She was half-responsible for this - it was ludicrous to think that she could, in any way, make this better.

She wasn’t even sure if she _was_ in love with him.

With a heavy sigh, she turned towards the door.

At least she could tell his father, when they found him, that she had done everything she could think of.

“I love you too.”

Emma froze for a second, before spinning around to see that August’s head was now turned towards her.

Slowly, wood was turning to flesh, spreading across his face and down his body, until he was able to blink, then smile, then finally sit up.

When he made to stand, she rushed back to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him there, unable to help squeezing down to feel flesh.

“Hang on there - you were a puppet a moment ago.”

“And now I’m not,” he said, with a lopsided grin. “So I can do this.”

He cupped the back of her head and drew her to him for a second kiss, this time with warm lips moving against hers with a tenderness that nearly made her cry.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” she whispered once they parted.

“You broke the curse,” August said. “I’m fine.” His eyes widened. “You … You broke the curse?”  


Emma gave him a shaky smile. “I did. I woke Henry up and everyone remembers.”

“And you woke me up,” August said. “Three in one day. Not too shabby, Your Highness.”

Emma rolled her eyes, standing up. “Come on. I know it was magic and all, but I’d feel better if you got checked out by a doctor. And please don’t call me that.”  


“As you wish, Princess.”  


Emma sighed. “Really?”

“Does it bother you?” August asked.

“It …” Emma hesitated. “Are you calling me that because you’re trying to get under my skin, or because you think there’s some kind of social hierarchy here that you need to adhere to?”  


“A bit of both,” August admitted. “There is one, Emma. Whether you like it or not. Back home …”  


“Yeah, well, we’re not there,” Emma said flatly. “I just woke you up with true love’s kiss; I think we can safely be on first name terms.”

“Can I still call you Princess?” August asked.

“If you must,” Emma said with barely-veiled affection. “Now come on. You need a doctor, I need my son, and there’s probably about three hundred people that want a piece of me first.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo this is happening. Yeah. Not 100% sure where this is going, but I've found that I don't really like Captain Swan - Hook gives me the creeps for some reason - and there are points where I want to scream at people because - really? What are you thinking? So feel free to join me on my self-indulgent, canon-divergent ... whatever this is.

“I’ll see a doctor.”  


“Thank you,” Emma said, leading the way down the stairs.

“If you do,” August finished.

“I don’t need a doctor,” Emma said.

“Really?” His hand brushed against her side, and she flinched, sucking in a pained breath.

“I’m fine.”

“Emma …” August trailed off as they reached the lobby to find her parents waiting for them.

Mary Margaret’s eyes lit up. “Pinocchio! You’re alright!”

“Your majesty,” August greeted, somewhat startled when she hugged him. “It’s good to see you again. I’m so sorry.”

“None of that,” Snow said immediately. “You were a child; it’s not your fault. Emma - how …?”

Emma smiled sheepishly. “Same way as I saved Henry.”

“Really?” David asked.

“We need to get back to the hospital,” August said firmly. “You need to see a doctor, Princess.”

“I’m fine,” Emma repeated.

August sighed. “Emma, if I had to take a guess, I’d say you have at least two cracked ribs.”

“Emma?” Mary Margaret asked. “What happened?”

Emma sighed. “We went to Gold in the first instance. He told us he’d managed to bottle true love.”  


“He did,” David confirmed. “He got me to hide it in exchange for turning my mother’s ring into a compass to find your mother after the sleeping curse.”  


Emma smiled weakly. “Well, I had to go and get it.”  


“I hid it in a dragon,” David protested. “There isn’t a dragon in Storybrooke!”

“Not any more, no,” Emma agreed. “It was below the clock tower. Actually, now that I think about it - your sword is still down there.”  


“But you’re not,” David said firmly. “And that’s the important thing. You got hurt?”  


“I may have been knocked about a bit,” Emma conceded. “I’m fine.”  


“If you’ve broken a rib, it could shift and puncture a lung,” August said. “Unless you want to traumatise Henry tonight when you roll over and start coughing up blood, I suggest you go to the hospital. I’ll even get myself checked out, just to ease your mind.”  


Emma sighed. “Fine.”

As they stepped out of the bed & breakfast, they could suddenly hear shouts from the next street.

“There you are!” Archie Hopper came sprinting towards them. “Whale’s whipped up a mob - they’re going after Regina!”

“They can’t!” Emma protested.

“Emma …” David began.  


“She’s Henry’s mom,” Emma said. “I cannot sit him down and tell him she’s dead - I don’t care what happened to her, but mob justice is not the answer! Not to mention there are patients in that hospital!”

“Take her to the hospital,” Mary Margaret said to August. “We’ll head them off and take Regina into custody.”

“Hang on.” Emma rooted in her pocket and pulled out her sheriff’s badge, handing it over to David. “Just in case they decide royalty isn’t a good enough reason.”

“Thank you,” David said. “Look after her.”

“Yes sir,” August called after them. “Can you walk?”  


“You are _not_ carrying me,” Emma said firmly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” August said, falling into step beside her. “So Henry’s okay?”

“He’s fine,” Emma said. “Hey, who is Whale?”  


“Pass,” August said. “I don’t recognise him. He might have been a traveller, caught up in the curse.”

“Poor guy,” Emma murmured. “No wonder he’s angry.”

“You really think she deserves a second chance?” August asked.

“I never said a second chance,” Emma said. “I said I don’t want her dead. Let’s face it - you and I suffered a lot more than everyone here. They were safe and happy, for the most part. Henry said before I got here, they lived the same week over and over again. Do you think they now remember every single one of them?”

“I don’t know,” August said honestly, holding the hospital door open for her. “Do you think there’s anybody here?”  
“There’d better be,” Emma said darkly. “I left my son in their care. I just hope Whale was smart enough to leave the room before he started.”

Thankfully, Henry was still in his hospital bed - and fast asleep. One of the nurses had stayed behind and glanced up at their entrance.

“Sheriff Swan, you’re back!”

“Mr Booth needs a check-up,” Emma said in response. “He was a puppet half an hour ago. I’m sorry - I don’t know your name.”  


“Nova, your highness,” she said with a smile. “My name under the curse was Sister Astrid. Now, young man, let’s take a look at you. Your father’s looking for you, by the way.”  


“I’ll see him soon,” August said. “Emma needs a check-up as well. A dragon knocked her into a wall.”  


Sister Astrid - no, Nova - raised an eyebrow. “Of course it did. In which case, let’s look at you first. If his curse is broken, he’ll be fine. Take the bed next to Henry’s please.”

Emma considered arguing but thought better of it. “Thanks for staying.”

“Unlike Dr Whale, I don’t see any benefit in chasing after Regina,” Nova said in a low voice to avoid waking Henry. “Here’s a hospital gown - get changed and we’ll take a look.”  


As it turned out, she did have cracked ribs. 

“Alright,” she grumbled, when August smirked at her. “Smartass.”

Nova chuckled, setting up a drip beside her. “This will give you some nice strong painkillers.”

“No offence,” Emma said, “but did you actually train as a nurse?”  


“No,” she answered. “But I have the memories of it.”

Emma shook her head. “It’s weird. She casts a curse to take away everyone’s happy endings, but this is hardly … bad. There’s a school and a hospital, everyone had a roof over their heads and food on the table. Aside from the whole Kathryn/Mary Margaret thing, everyone’s … fine.”

“Well, it was Snow White that the Queen really wanted to suffer,” Nova said with a sigh. “I suppose the rest of us were just collateral damage.”

“And now you’re all stuck here,” Emma murmured.

“It would appear so.”

And there was David, hand-in-hand with Mary Margaret.

Prince Charming and Snow White. 

She really needed to get the whole name changes straight.

Nova dipped a curtsey and led August away to another bed to give them some privacy.

“Regina?” Emma asked.

“Locked up,” David answered. “What’s the damage?”  


“Two cracked ribs,” Emma said. “August was right.” She sighed. “If you two want to talk …”  


“We do,” Mary Margaret said immediately.

“Thought so,” Emma said with a small smile. “Best do it quickly, Sister Astrid - Nova, sorry - has me on the good drugs. I’ll be out like a light before long. How’s that working anyway?”  


“What?” Mary Margaret asked, as she took one of the chairs beside her bed.

“The names,” Emma said. “You’ve got two sets of memories now, right?”  


“We do,” David confirmed. “I’m easy enough. My name hasn’t changed.”  


“The book says your name is James,” Emma said.

“It’s a long story,” Mary Margaret said, “but James was his twin brother.”

“Of course he was,” Emma murmured. “So what do I call you?”  


“Well, Mom and Dad is the most obvious answer,” Mary Margaret said slowly, “but I understand that’s going to be a big leap, considering we’re younger than you, so Snow and David will do for now, I’m sure.”  


“Whatever you feel more comfortable with,” David added. “Emma?”  


“M’okay,” Emma mumbled. “Told you I’d be …” She trailed off, her eyes closing.  


“Nova?” Snow called. “Nova, she’s passed out!”  


“It’s just the morphine,” Nova said. “You’re lucky she’s a sleeper - Archie - sorry, Jiminy - just gets really, really high on the stuff. What happened with the angry mob?”

“We’ve managed to disperse them,” David said heavily. “The question about what exactly to do with Regina remains; we can’t keep her in the holding cell forever. However, she doesn’t have her magic.”  


“At all?” Nova asked.

“She tried a fireball,” Snow said. “It didn’t work.”  


“So she’s stuck, at least,” Nova said, frowning as she checked August’s pulse once again. “I’d like Blue to take a look at you.”  


“Is something wrong?” Snow asked.

“I’m not sure,” Nova admitted. “Without my wand or any fairy dust, it’s hard to say. Something just isn’t quite as it should be.”

***

When Emma awoke the next morning, the bed next to her was empty.

“Your parents took Henry to the hospital cafeteria for some breakfast.”  


“Thanks,” she said, relaxing when her eyes fell on August in the chair beside her. “Are you okay?”  


August smiled at her, lifting her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “You fixed me.”  


Emma rolled her eyes. “Stop it.”  


“No, really,” August said. “When the Blue Fairy made me human, her magic only allowed it to happen with conditions. Selfless, brave and true. Otherwise I turn back again. You fixed that. I’m a proper human being now.”  


“I’d rather you carry on being those things,” Emma said with a smile.

“I will,” August said, letting go of her hand. “On that note …”  


“Oh no.” Emma heaved a sigh. “Do I want to know?”  


“There is something I need to tell you,” August said heavily. “And when I do … you’re going to hate me.”  


“Is this the same thing as the ‘I was supposed to look after you, even though I was only a child, so now I feel guilty for not doing what I was physically unable to do’?” Emma asked dryly.

“It’s tied into it,” August said, his eyes fixed on the floor. “I felt so guilty for leaving you … I dealt with it in some really bad ways. Finally, I dragged myself out of the gutter I’d found myself in and went looking. I found you in Portland. You were eighteen and … You were so beautiful.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Emma said, unable to help the upwards twitch of her mouth.

“You were with someone,” August continued. “He was … a mess. You were trying to survive, but it was obvious that you wanted more, and he … he was dragging you down a dark path.”

Emma froze. “August, what did you do?”  


“I was sure there was something about him,” August said, still not meeting her eyes. “Something familiar. I couldn’t put my finger on what. But I did some digging and … He lied to you.”  


“I know,” Emma said darkly.

“He gave you a fake name,” August said.

Emma frowned. “I saw his passport, August. And his ID.”  


“They can be faked,” August said. “His name might be Neal Cassidy in this world. But in ours …”  


“He came from your world?” Emma interrupted.  


“He went by Baelfire,” August whispered. “Rumplestiltskin’s son.”

Emma’s heart seemed to stop for a moment or two. “Are you … Did he know who I was?”  


“No,” August said. “Not until I told him.” He hesitated, but when she didn’t say anything, he kept going. “I told him that you were the one who’d break the curse. That you’d need to be back here by the time you were twenty-eight. And that you were better off without him.”  


“You had no right,” Emma said in a low voice.

“I didn’t tell him to set you up,” August said sharply. “Baelfire’s been running from his father for centuries, if the stories are true.”  


“Centuries?” Emma repeated.

“I don’t know how,” August said. “I just know the stories. I figured that he’d give it some time and let you down gently - not take off like a coward. I didn’t know that until I ran into him a few months later. He told me you were in prison and asked me to send you a few things.”  


“You sent me the car keys,” Emma whispered. “What was the other thing?”  


August fidgeted. “The proceeds. From the … whatever job you were pulling that night?”  


“How much?” Emma asked.

“$20,000.”

Emma closed her eyes. “And you kept the cash.”  


“I know I shouldn’t have done,” August said quietly. “I didn’t know you were pregnant; if I had, I’d have sent you the cash. Or … I don’t know - sending it to you there wasn’t going to help you. If anything, if they figured out where it came from, you’d have been in more trouble.”  


“So where is it?” Emma asked. “Or did you drink it?”

August cleared his throat. “Gambled it, actually. It’s in a trust fund for Henry.”  


“It’s …” Emma paused. “What? But you just said …”  


“Well, I’m very good,” August said. “Doubled it, actually. I was going to give it to you when I got here, once I’d figured out a good way to do it - when I found out about Henry, I felt awful, and I knew you’d do it anyway, so I set up a trust fund.”

“Well …” Emma began, only to be interrupted but a huge crash from outside. “What the hell?” August jumped to his feet and sprinted to the window. “Is that … Is that a tornado?”  


Running footsteps alerted her before Henry burst through the doors to the ward.

“Henry!”  


“Grandma sent me up,” Henry said breathlessly. “Grandpa says that’s a wraith.”  


“Are they dangerous?” Emma asked, already reaching for her clothes.

“Only if you’ve been marked,” August said grimly. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t … What the hell are you doing?”  


“I’m still the sheriff,” Emma said, pulling the privacy curtain across so she could change. “I’m wrapped up; bed-rest isn’t going to help me.”

Dr Whale arrived just as she emerged.

“Doctor, please tell her it’s not safe,” August said.

“Doctor?” Emma asked.

Whale looked at her for a second, then sighed. “Take some more painkillers.”

“Thanks,” Emma said, swallowing the offered pills dry. “Stay in here until the drama out there’s died down. Henry, stay here with August please.”  


“Mom …” Henry began, his voice shaking.

Emma pulled him into a hug, pressing a kiss to his head. “It’ll be okay.”  


“This isn’t in the book,” he mumbled into her stomach.

Her heart ached for him.

Of course, he had probably expected that she would break the curse and then everyone would live happily ever after - except this _wasn’t_ Fairy Tale Land, or whatever it was called.

And she was starting to get the feeling that wasn’t even the case there.

“I know, kiddo,” she said, releasing him. “Stay with August.”  


“Emma!” Now August caught her arm, before she could run. “Please just …”  


“Look after my son,” she said, her voice deceptively even, and intentionally pitched too low for Henry to hear. “We will talk later. Right now, I can’t even look at you.”  


“I love you.”

Emma managed a small smile. “I know.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because it never made sense that Aurora and Snow wouldn't have already known each other. And because people need to talk more.

Emma should have known, really, that she should have said it back.

She had made the age-old mistake of assuming that she had time, that there would be another conversation at a later date, where she could articulate how she felt.

As she fell into a hat, of all things, after something that her parents said was a wraith but looked more like a Dementor from the Harry Potter movies, her last thought was that he would never know that she had forgiven him before she had even finished walking out the door.

Then suddenly she was flying, instead of falling - something that made no sense, but before she could question it, she was on the ground, even though she did not recall landing.

For a moment, she lay still, her head spinning. She could hear voices, but her vision was obscured by something large that appeared to be lying atop her.

She shifted, trying to move it, and her hand brushed against something lying beside her - someone.

As her eyes fell on Snow White’s unconscious form, the object on top of her moved and light streamed down.

“They brought the wraith!”

Emma immediately raised her hands, partly to show that she was unarmed and partly to shield her eyes from the sudden light.

There were two women staring down at them - one in armour, the other in a dress.

“I’m sorry,” she began. “It was terrorising our town - we were told that the Dark Curse destroyed everything here and that we would be sending it into the abyss.”

“You expect us to believe that?” The armoured woman demanded, hauling Emma to her feet. “Our prince is dead because of that thing!”

Emma followed her pointed finger to where a figure lay on a dais several feet away. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, her heart clenching as the other woman let out a sob. “We had no idea, I swear!”

“Where did you come from?”

“Storybrooke,” Emma answered. “It’s in another realm. I got sucked in after it, and my … Snow must have jumped after me.”

The other woman suddenly let out a gasp. “Snow? Snow White?”  


“You know her?” Her companion asked.

“She ruled the neighbouring kingdom,” she said, kneeling beside Snow. “Of course I know her. I just didn’t recognise her without …” she looked up sharply. “You were going to call her something else.”

Emma sighed. “My mother. She’s my mother. The Dark Curse sent everyone to the other realm - to Storybrooke - and froze them in time. I arrived a year ago and time started moving again, and then I broke the curse …”  


“Yesterday.”

Emma frowned. “Yes. How did you know? And … And how didn’t you get caught up in the curse?”  


“I was asleep until a few hours ago,” the woman in the dress said. “But apparently this corner of the Enchanted Forest was untouched by the curse.”  


“Not entirely,” the armoured woman said, still eyeing Emma with distrust. “Time froze. We just didn’t go anywhere. And - sorry - you are?”  


She didn’t sound particularly sorry.

“Princess Emma,” the first woman said softly. “She’s Princess Emma.”

The armoured woman relaxed at that, and gave her a bow. “My apologies, your highness.”

“I … It’s fine,” Emma said, deciding against correcting anyone. “I really am so sorry about your friend …”  


“Mulan,” she said, holding out a hand. “And Queen Aurora.”

“Princess,” Aurora corrected, as Emma shook their hands. “Phillip was to be king, yes, after my parents passed, but we never got to the coronation.”  


“You will need to take the mantle,” Mulan said gently.

“I know,” Aurora said, her voice trembling a little, her hands brushing across Snow’s body, checking for injuries. “Did she hit her head?”

“I’m not sure,” Emma said. “My head is still spinning.”  


“We must be moving,” Mulan said. “Phillip will be safe, here, until we can find a way to wake him. Can you ride?”

“Horses?” Emma asked. “Sorry - that was a stupid question. I can, yes, but I haven’t for some time.”

Aurora eyed Emma’s jeans. “I can’t ride properly in this dress. We have two horses - if we take one horse, Mulan can take Snow on the other.”

Mulan nodded. “Are you armed, your highness?”

“I am,” Emma said, pulling out her gun. “But I don’t know how useful this is going to be against anything here. It’s a gun,” she added, before either woman could ask. “It … It fires a small projectile very, very fast. Kind of like a very small cannon?”

“I wouldn’t use that,” Mulan warned. “The Enchanted Forest has been overtaken by ogres, and that noise will just summon them - they’re blind, but very sensitive to sound.”

“Well, that sucks,” Emma said bluntly. “I don’t suppose you have a spare sword stashed away?”  


For the first time, Mulan managed a small smile. “We have a camp not far from here. Aurora and I returned on foot to search for Phillip.”  


“He realised he was marked,” Aurora said in a small voice. “He went away so it wouldn’t harm us.”

Mulan stooped over Snow and lifted her up. Emma moved to her other side, so her mother was propped up between them.

“Not far, you said?”  


“Not far,” Mulan confirmed. “We’ll need to rest for the night.”  


“Well, if ogres are blind, then they’ll have the advantage in the dark, right?” Emma asked. “So, yeah, that makes sense.”

Thankfully, Mulan’s idea of ‘not far’ turned out to agree with Emma’s, and within ten minutes, they were bedded down in a tent strung up between two trees.

It was not the most comfortable of beds, but Emma had certainly had worse. They tucked Snow in with her, and Aurora curled up on her other side.

Mulan was apparently not tired - or possibly had just developed the ability to function on a small amount of sleep - so she sat by the campfire, keeping the embers alight and watching out for any danger.

Emma made a few offers to take over, but was rebuffed. She spent the night dozing - automatically waking every hour almost to the second to check her mother’s pulse and make sure that she was okay. At some point, her breathing became deeper and more even, and Emma relaxed somewhat, hoping that that meant that she had shifted from unconscious to asleep.

On her sixth waking, when faint light was just beginning to creep through into the tent, it was a soft noise that woke Emma, rather than whatever her internal clock was doing.

She rolled over, her eyes falling on Aurora, who was trembling, little whimpers escaping her as she dreamed.

Emma reached across and took her hand, squeezing gently. A second later, the other woman’s eyes flew open with a gasp.

“It’s okay,” Emma murmured. “You were dreaming.”

Aurora’s fingers tightened around hers. “Thank you.”  


“Are you alright?” Emma asked, hearing the tremble in her voice.

“Just … Just a really weird dream,” Aurora whispered. “I was in a room … It was on fire …”  


“Probably just the smell of the smoke from the campfire,” Emma said. “Try and match my breathing.”

Finally, Aurora relaxed and her breathing evened out once more, her grip relaxing as she slipped back into sleep.

Emma shifted on to her back, gazing at the roof of the tent. Her ribs ached despite the bandage tight around her middle.

Still, she had soldiered on with far worse injuries when she was younger.

And, at some point, she would have to tell Mary Mar - her _mother_ \- that.

At some point, she would have to break her parents’ hearts.

She drifted back into an uneasy sleep as her mother’s voice echoed in her head. _“We wanted to give you your best chance.”_

***

The nursery smelled of smoke.

That was her fault - it was all her fault - how could she not realise that Regina’s mother would be just as twisted as her daughter?

If anything, meeting Cora properly had cemented Emma’s opinion that Regina was as broken as she was. 

She was distantly aware of Snow and Mulan agreeing to make camp in the castle grounds, her hand trailing along the fractured side of what would have been her crib.

“Emma?” Snow asked, as Mulan left. “Are you alright?”

“You’re the one that was unconscious for twelve hours,” Emma said.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Emma sighed. “I know.”

“I pushed a little back in Storybrooke,” Snow said. “And I’m sorry for that. If you’re not ready to talk, you’re not ready to talk. But when you are … I’m ready to listen.”

Emma smiled weakly. “It’s not about not being ready. I just … I don’t want to hurt you.”

Snow took a deep breath. “I can take it.”

“I gave Henry up for adoption,” Emma said slowly. “I wanted to give him his best chance. So I do understand. And I’m sorry for snapping at you. Because it wouldn’t have been as easy as just being together under the curse, would it?”  


“Regina would never have allowed us to stay together,” Snow agreed immediately. “The best case scenario would have been her adopting you instead.”

Emma snorted. “I actually would have preferred that.”

“How could you …” Snow cut herself off, taking a calming breath. “Sorry.”  


“No, I get it,” Emma said. “She’s the Evil Queen. How could I rather have stayed with her? The thing is, she’s also Henry’s mother. She raised him for ten years. And, yes, she was strict, but I saw her when Henry ate that turnover. She adores him. He wanted for nothing. It was the best I could have hoped for when I gave him up.”

“She was a good mother,” Snow conceded. “You … You weren’t as lucky?”  


“I was adopted,” Emma said, not looking at her. “I can’t remember them very clearly, but I remember being happy. When I was three, she fell pregnant with her own baby. I was excited because I thought I was going to be a big sister, but instead they took me back to the group home and told me that I wasn’t their real child and they only had room for one, so they couldn’t keep me anymore.”

“Emma …”

“When I was four, I was put with another foster parent,” Emma continued. “She had six of us. After a few weeks, she’d just tied my hair back for school, and I gave her a hug and called her mom. She shoved me into a wall so hard I broke my arm, and told me not to call her that. You don’t have a mother, Emma; your mother didn’t want you, so she left you on the side of the road.” She sank into the rocking chair by the balcony, gazing out at the Enchanted Forest. “I ended up in four or five different group homes, and seven or eight foster homes. Always told that I’d find a forever home one day but never wanted. All the foster homes just wanted their welfare check - at best they were neglectful, at worst they were abusive. As soon as I was eighteen, the last foster home kicked me out the door because they stopped getting paid at that point, and I ended up stealing to survive. I gave up on finding my parents a long time ago and now … I don’t know how to be a daughter. And I’m sitting in this room and … You wanted me.”

“Of course we did,” Snow whispered. She crossed the room from where she had been frozen in place by Emma’s words, to sit beside her daughter in the oversized rocking chair. “I would sit here in this chair, and imagine what it would be like to be a mother. Sometimes I’d fall asleep, and I’d wake up to find your dad telling you stories. We were so excited to be parents, Emma.”

“I’m not the daughter you expected,” Emma whispered.

“No, you’re not,” Snow agreed. “But I think that’s true for all parents. It’s not like we can see the future. You say you don’t know how to be a daughter. But, Emma, we don’t know how to be parents. Regina’s curse had us reliving the same week over and over again, and I only remember the last week before you arrived. As far as my memory tells me, I gave birth a year ago, not nearly 29. And now my daughter’s an adult and I’m a _grandmother_. Please don’t think that you’re the only one that’s a bit lost here.”

Emma swallowed hard, biting back the tears that threatened her composure. “I’m … I’m not used to having someone that puts me first.”

Snow wrapped her arms around her. “Well, get used to it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Emma and Snow return, Emma and August are reunited, and Emma's fairly sure Regina can be redeemed.

“Mom!”

Emma’s feet had barely touched the ground before Henry practically threw himself into her arms. She hugged him tightly; how had she ever given him up in the first place?

Snow’s arms wrapped around them both. “What is she doing here?”

Emma’s focus finally shifted from her son to her surroundings. They were at the old wishing well, Ruby only just stirring a few feet away, while Gold walked away.

Regina was slumped on the ground nearby, pained eyes fixed on Henry.

“She saved you,” Henry said, only just audibly.

Emma’s eyes widened. “Thank you.”  


Regina managed a small smile. “You’re welcome.”

“Snow!”

And then Ruby was there, hugging all three of them.  


“Where’s David?” Snow asked urgently.

“Back of Gold’s shop,” Ruby said breathlessly. “The dwarves are watching him.”

“Go,” Emma said, slipping out of her mother’s arms. “Wake him up.”

Henry pulled out of her arms, but grabbed her hand. “Come on! You’ve missed so much! What was the Enchanted Forest like?”  


“No electricity, no running water and no fast food,” Emma listed. “It was an interesting experience.”

Regina had disappeared, so Emma followed her mother at a more leisurely pace, hand-in-hand with her son. 

“Has she been alright?” She asked in an undertone. “Your mom?”  


“Not my mom,” Henry reminded her.

Emma sighed. “Henry …”

“You’re my mom,” Henry continued. “The fact that she adopted me doesn’t change the fact that you gave birth to me.”

Emma stopped and crouched down so she was at eye level with him. “I know that. But the fact that I gave birth to you doesn’t change the fact that she raised you for nearly eleven years. And she did a great job - you’re a wonderful, wonderful kid, and I can’t take any credit for that.”

Henry kicked at the floor. “But I can’t have two.”  


“Of course you can,” Emma said. “You’re my son, and I love you. But you’re her son too. And she loves you.”  


“She threatened the whole town to get me to come home,” Henry protested.

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Did she?”

“Yeah, and then she sent me home with Grandpa,” Henry said. “She said that … She said sometimes she doesn’t know how to love very well.”

“I think,” Emma said slowly, “that she’s afraid of losing you. And sometimes when people are scared, they make some bad decisions. But I don’t think Regina’s evil.”

“You don’t?” Henry asked. “But it’s in her name.”  


“The Evil Queen is not her name,” Emma said. “It’s a name she was given. But her dark curse was supposed to make people suffer. Did they?”  


“They were taken here,” Henry said.

“Yes,” Emma agreed. “But did they suffer? You grew up in Storybrooke, Henry. Were people suffering?”  


“No,” Henry admitted. “But they didn’t know they’d been cursed.”

“And for the most part they were happy,” Emma said with a smile. “Even Snow White, who was the target, was not exactly suffering. Yes, she was separated from her family, but she didn’t know that.”

“So what do we do now?” Henry asked.

“Now,” Emma said, straightening up, “we go and find your grandparents. And then tomorrow, I’ll see if I can track Regina down and have a chat abut how this is going to work.”

Henry’s hand tightened around hers as they started walking again. “Mom, I … overheard something I wasn’t supposed to.”  


“Eavesdroppers often do,” Emma said lightly. “What did you hear?”  


“August was worried about you,” Henry said. “He told Grandpa about the argument you had before you left.”  


“It wasn’t an argument,” Emma said automatically, before she stopped dead. “You overheard him? You know …?”  


“I know my dad wasn’t a firefighter,” Henry said.

Emma closed her eyes. “Henry … I’m so sorry. I should never have lied to you. I know that.”  


“It’s okay,” Henry said. “I was really upset, but August figured out that I’d been listening, and he said that you probably panicked and didn’t want me to ask you questions you didn’t know the answer to.”  


Emma’s heart swelled with affection for her … August. (She really needed to figure out what they were to each other). “He’s right. You were already disappointed at Regina because of who she was. And I’m no one to be proud of. I wanted you to have at least one parent to be proud of.”  


“You saved the whole town,” Henry protested. “I’m proud of you!”  


Emma smiled. “That wasn’t the case at the time. Do you have any questions? About your dad?”  


“Would he have come back if he knew you were pregnant?” Henry asked.

“I don’t know,” Emma admitted. “I’m still not completely sure why he ran. August told him that I was better off without him, but not to … disappear like that. Have you … mentioned your dad to anyone else?”  


“Like Mr Gold?” Henry asked. “No. You owe him a favour, right? Maybe that could be it?”

Emma sighed. “Maybe.”  


“I would like to meet him,” Henry continued, as they carried on their way.

“We’ll see.”

“That’s a no,” Henry grumbled.

“No,” Emma said. “It’s a ‘we’ll see’.”

“When grown-ups say that, they mean no,” Henry said.

“Henry …” Emma sighed again. “You’re right. They do. But I don’t. If I mean no, I will say that, okay? I mean, we’ll see. I will try and find him, I promise. But I can’t promise that I’ll be able to, and I can’t promise that he’ll come even if I do. So we’ll see.”

***

The party at Granny’s went on for hours.

Eventually, as the sky began to darken, Emma made her excuses and gently extracted Henry from his lively conversation with Sean and Ashley (Thomas and Ella, she had to remember).

Ella gave her a smile as she did. “At least mine can sleep wherever.”

“Yeah, this one’s a bit too big for me to carry home,” Emma said.

Ella adjusted her sleeping baby. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you yet. For Alexandra, I mean.”

“You thanked me at the time,” Emma pointed out.

“Yes, but we didn’t know who we were dealing with,” Thomas said. “What did Gold want in exchange?”  


“A favour,” Emma said. “I have a feeling I know what it will be and I can deal with it.”

“Still,” Ella whispered. “I should never have made that deal.”  


“You were desperate, sweetheart,” Thomas said gently. “It’s okay.”  


Ella gave Emma a tremulous smile. “Maybe we can grab coffee at some point?”

Emma hesitated, but nodded. “That sounds good. Come on, kid. You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet.”

Snow caught up with them at the door. “Are you going back to the loft?”  


“Actually, I was going to go to the B&B,” Emma said.

“I was afraid of that,” Snow said. “Emma, you know …”  


“I do,” Emma said hastily. “But you and David haven’t had a chance to really reunite yet and you don’t need us under your feet. Not to mention, I need to speak to August, and he’s clearly avoiding me. So we’ll go to the B&B tonight and we’ll come over for breakfast tomorrow. Okay?”

After a slight pause, Snow nodded and reached out to hug her. Emma automatically stiffened, but her mother patiently waited for her to relax, rather than immediately pulling back.

“Sleep well,” Snow murmured, when she finally pulled back.

“You too.” Emma tucked Henry under her arm and they stepped out of the diner.

It was only when they reached the hotel that Emma realised that Granny and Ruby were still at the party - except Ruby wasn’t.

She was waiting for them at the front desk.

“I took the short cut,” she said cheerfully.

“Thanks for telling me,” Emma grumbled good-naturedly.

“Family secret,” Ruby said. “You want me to watch Henry tonight?”

Emma frowned. “Sorry?”  


“August is still in the same room,” Ruby said. “I’m guessing you have a lot to talk about.”  


“It’s okay, Mom,” Henry said. “I don’t mind staying with Aunt Ruby.”

Emma was startled, but Ruby just about melted.

“You’re okay calling me that?”  


Henry nodded. “Grandpa said that you were going to be Mom’s godmother, but that’s not really going to work now. So I thought maybe you could be mine instead?”  


“I’m fairly sure it’s your mom’s job to choose godparents,” Ruby said gently.

“And you’d be a great one,” Emma said, recovering her composure. “If you could have Henry tonight, I’d be very grateful.”  


“No problem,” Ruby said with a smile. “I know that you don’t exactly need a godmother anymore, Emma, but I like to think we were friends before the curse broke.”  


“We were,” Emma agreed. “Not to mention you were the best deputy I had.”  


Ruby laughed. “I was the only deputy you had. My point is, if you ever want to talk … or just get blind drunk … you can always come to me.”

“Thanks,” Emma said, impulsively reaching across the counter to hug her. “Out of interest, do you prefer Red or Ruby? I noticed that some people are sticking with their cursed names and some are going back to their real ones.”

“I’ve actually come to like Ruby,” she said. “You might have guessed that ‘Red’ wasn’t my real name either. My birth name is … I’m not fond of it, put it that way. Your father’s sticking with David for some reason.”  


“He told me David was his real name and that James was his brother,” Emma said, then frowned. “At least, I think he did. I was on a lot of morphine at the time.”

“That would make sense actually,” Ruby said thoughtfully. “I never met Charming before I knew Snow, but I did hear enough stories of Prince James to know that he seemed very different to the man Snow fell in love with. A twin brother would make sense, if not for the fact that George definitely only had one kid.”

At the king’s name, Ruby’s eyes became a little colder, but it passed almost immediately, and she grinned at Henry. “Come on, kid. I’ll make us some hot cocoa and then we’ll get you to bed.”  She winked at Emma. “Good luck.”  


Emma kissed Henry’s forehead. “Night, Henry.”  


“Goodnight, Mom,” Henry said. “Make sure he comes home?”  


“I will,” Emma said, striding towards the stairs.

Someone had fixed the lock on August’s room - probably August himself - so she knocked loudly, not concerned about the surrounding rooms, given that all the other keys were still on the hooks downstairs.

When the door opened, August looked surprisingly startled to see her. “Emma.”  


“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Emma said, slipping past him.

“I didn’t think you’d want to see me,” August said, shutting the door behind her. “Where’s Henry?”  


“Having a slumber party with Aunt Ruby,” Emma said. “I thought my parents could do with some privacy, and I wanted to see you.”

She leaned against the desk, next to his typewriter, which held a paper bearing the words _Dear Emma._

“That’s not a Dear John letter, is it?” Emma asked.

“No,” August said firmly. “I’m not leaving you again, Emma. Even if you hate me, I’ll still be here, if you need me.”  


“I don’t hate you,” Emma said. “What was it going to be then?”  


“I wasn’t expecting you,” August said. “I just … I figured I’d write you a letter, but I couldn’t figure out what to say.”

Emma sighed, painfully aware of the distance he was keeping between them. “I’m sorry.” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to protest. “Let me finish. I’m not sorry I was upset. You screwed up and you hid it from me. But I am sorry that I avoided the conversation. And I’m sorry that my last words to you were almost ‘I can’t look at you right now’.”

“Technically, they were ‘I know’,” August said.

Emma cracked a smile. “Promise me that you’re not hiding anything else.”

“I promise,” August said.

“Promise me that you won’t hide anything else from me,” Emma said.

August hesitated. “Anything else? What about birthday presents?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Alright, let me rephrase. Promise me that you won’t hide anything else _important_ from me?”

“I promise,” August said, finally stepping closer to her. “I swear to you, Emma, that I will be completely honest with you from now on.”

“Good,” Emma whispered, closing the distance between them.

His hands landed on her waist, tugging her closer as he deepened the kiss she bestowed on him.

Tomorrow, she would need to speak to her parents, need to catch up on everything that had happened in her absence, need to speak to Regina about Henry.

Right now, however, she had all night to reconnect with this man, with no need to worry about room-mates or children or nosy neighbours. 

She started as her back bumped against the desk and his grip tightened, lifting her to sit beside his typewriter.

The casual show of strength elicited a moan, her stomach clenching at the thought of his hard body on top of her; he took advantage of the broken kiss to trail open-mouthed kisses down her throat, gently sucking claiming marks into her skin.

“August …” Emma whispered, her head falling back against the wall with a soft thud.

“Missed you,” August murmured, his voice sending gentle vibrations against her neck. “Thought I’d lost you.”

“Still here.” Emma’s voice broke with a gasp on the second word as his hand slipped under the back of her shirt, the sudden contact sending mini shockwaves through her. “But I … I’ve been in a forest for the last … for the last month and … I really need a shower … and a toothbrush.”

“You’re gorgeous,” August said, switching to the other side of her throat.

“I feel gross,” Emma said, almost in a whine.

August pulled away. “You want to borrow my bathroom?”  


Emma smiled. “Please.”

August stepped back to allow her to slip down from the desk. “Feel free to use my toothbrush as well.”

“That doesn’t sound very hygienic,” Emma said.

August smirked. “My tongue was in your mouth a few minutes ago.”  


“Fair enough,” Emma said. “Thank you.”  


“You want me to get your back?” August asked innocently.

“I actually do need a shower,” Emma reminded him. 

“You think I can’t control myself?” August asked.

“I’m sure you can,” Emma said, letting her eyes linger on the clear evidence of how much he wanted her. “I’m not sure I can. Give me thirty minutes, and then I’m all yours.”  


“I’ll hold you to that, Princess.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo this chapter is the reason for the rating change. I wasn't going to do it, but these two write themselves, I swear. If you're underage where you live, or would rather skip sexy times, please skip this chapter and rejoin us next week for chapter six. Thank you.
> 
> I'm not planning on this being a regular thing, so if you prefer your stories without -ahem- intimate encounters, I will warn you at the tops of chapters and make sure that I separate those scenes out so you can skip them if you wish without it getting in the way of the story. This chapter is smut and fluff, and nothing else of substance.

By the time Emma had emerged from the shower, she had realised two things - first of all, she had been far filthier than she had thought, and second of all, she didn’t have a change of clothes.

When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her, it had been closer to an hour than the thirty minutes she’d predicted.

August had clearly taken the time to do some housekeeping - the room was much tidier, and the bed made - and he was sitting at his typewriter, frowning at it.

“Writers’ block?” Emma asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Yeah, I …” August looked up at her and immediately pushed his chair back, giving her his full attention. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. You appear to be underdressed.”  


“Or you’re overdressed,” Emma said with a smirk.

“Yeah, that too,” August said, watching her as she moved closer, his eyes tracing her curves until she stopped right in front of him. He reached out and tugged lightly on the bottom of the towel. “Can I take this off?”  


Emma hesitated. The answer was yes - of course it was - but it was one thing to undress each other; it was something else entirely to be immediately naked and exposed in front of him.

“What’s wrong?”  


He saw through her.

He always saw right through her.

“I’m not …” Emma began, not entirely sure how she was going to finish.

“I guess your clothes need the laundry,” August said, gently nudging her back so he could stand. “You can borrow something of mine for tonight if you like.”  


Love and affection rushed over her as he started rummaging in his drawers. She knew he wanted her - it was evident in his eyes and his voice (not to mention the bulge in the front of his pants) - and yet the first sign of discomfort from her, and he was willing to push it all aside to make sure she was alright.

“It’s okay,” Emma said quietly. “It’s just … It’s not pretty.”  


That caught his attention again, and he turned to face her, his expression incredulous. “Not … Emma, you’re gorgeous! I swear, I have been all over the world, and you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”

Emma dropped her gaze, unable to prevent the blush from heating her cheeks. “I meant what’s underneath. I haven’t … You’d be the first to see it … like this.”  


“Emma, you have a son,” August said gently.

“Neal and I had no money,” Emma reminded him. “When we were together, it was dark and quick and … usually in the back of the car.”

August pulled a face. “You deserve better than that.” He approached her slowly, taking her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Emma … I love you. Whatever happens when you drop that towel … That’s not going to change.”  


“You already feel guilty,” Emma whispered. “I don’t want to make it worse.”  


Realisation sparked in his eyes a split second before they closed. “Emma …”

“Promise me,” Emma continued, resting her forehead against his. “Promise me that you’ll try and let that guilt go.”

August nodded. “I promise I’ll try. Now …” he opened his eyes and managed a small smile. “May I?”

Emma took a step back. Before he could give her another way out, she tugged on the knot on the front of the towel and it tumbled to the floor.

His breath caught as his gaze swept over her, apparently skipping over the blemishes that marred her skin, souvenirs of a lifetime of fighting.

He suddenly went very still, his gaze focusing on something behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and realised that, through the bathroom door, the mirror was clearly visible - as was her reflection.

Her back was worse - she knew that. 

The bad foster parents were not stupid - they were careful not to cause any damage where it would be seen by others.

Most bruises faded, but there had been one ‘carer’ who preferred to give his ‘discipline’ by belt - the sharp end - and these had faded into ugly scars that streaked across her back.

“I know it’s …”  


She was cut off by August’s mouth landing on hers, his hands tangling in her hair. She tasted salt on her lips and realised that they were tears.

She wasn’t the one who was crying.

Reluctantly she broke the kiss, pressing against him as she caught her breath. “It’s okay.”  


“It’s not,” August said in a choked voice. “I should have been there.”  


“You couldn’t have done anything,” Emma murmured. “You know that.”  


“Let me make it up to you,” he whispered against her lips.

Emma raised an eyebrow. “How are you going to do that?”

Her attempt at lightening the mood appeared to work, and he smirked at her. “Trust me?”  


“Well, you’re my true love,” Emma said with a smile. “I suppose so.”

“Come here.” August led her over to the bed and urged her to lie face down.

Hesitating just for a second, she did so, resting her head on her arms so she could see him still.

“Can you hold still for me?” He murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“I suppose so,” Emma said. “Although if you give me a back rub, I will probably fall asleep, just to warn you.”  


August chuckled, the mattress dipping as he knelt beside her. “If you fall asleep, you fall asleep and I’ll carry on making it up to you later. But that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”  


Emma was glad - she _was_ certainly tired after sleeping on the ground for weeks, but her body was certainly not ready to rest yet.

August pressed a kiss just below her ear and she let out a little sigh, closing her eyes when his lips continued to travel down her neck and across her shoulders.

A second later, her eyes flew open again when she realised that he was slowly but surely kissing every scar that littered her skin, making his way slowly down her back. As he did, his hand ran up and down her side, just brushing the edge of her breast on every pass.

The ache between her legs was getting more obvious and she pressed her thighs together, desperate for some kind of relief.

He laughed again, just as his lips pressed to her hip, and she jolted at the unexpected feeling.

“Easy,” he whispered, resting his other hand just about the swell of her arse. “Told you to hold still, remember?”  


“What are you doing?” Emma asked breathlessly.

Just as he reached the tops of her thighs, inches away from where she really wanted him, he began trailing kisses back up her spine until he was back to where he started, the spot under her ear that had always been sensitive but that no man had ever really found.

Except him, apparently, because he had clearly noted her reaction to it earlier, and sucked on the skin there until she let out a moan.

“That’s better,” August said (and she could hear the satisfaction in his voice, the little shit). “Now roll over and let me keep worshiping you.”  


His words sent another shot of heat through her body, and she hastened to do as he asked, his face coming back into view as she settled on her back.

He was still fully dressed, something that had unsettled her earlier, but now just aroused her further.

“Aren’t you going to take that off?” She asked. “It looks uncomfortable.”  


August glanced down at where his cock was clearly straining to escape his pants. “Not yet.” He rested a hand on her stomach, covering the stretch marks that still remained from her pregnancy - possibly the only marks on her body that she truly … not liked, maybe, but she was proud of them.

Especially now she had her son back in her life.

“You are stunning, Emma,” he whispered, the look on his face something akin to awestruck. “I’m half-convinced I’m dreaming.”  


“You dream of me a lot?” Emma asked with a smirk.

“Every night,” August said, bending down to suck her collarbone.

Emma let out a moan. “You’re going to leave a mark.”  


“Good,” August said against her skin, his mouth travelling down her chest. “Let there be marks of love, for once. Let me mark you, Princess, so everyone knows you’re mine.”  


Emma might have retorted, but then he was suddenly taking a nipple into his mouth, and all thoughts of anything she might have said were swept away as his mouth - _dear Gods his mouth_ \- rolled the little nub around, flicking it with his tongue as she arched up into him.

His hand slid up to cup her other breast, his fingers mimicking the same movement, and she let out another gasp. “August … fuck …”  


He released her nipple with a soft sucking sound. “That’s it, Princess … are you gonna come for me?”

Emma managed a breathy laugh. “Someone’s confident. You’ll need to do a bit more than that.”

August smirked, shifting so he could run his other hand down her body to between her thighs. “You sure? Because you’re _soaked_ , baby.”

Emma whimpered, bucking her hips into his hand, and he chuckled, abandoning his teasing to brace himself in order to lean down and kiss her. As his tongue thrust into her mouth, his fingers did the same to her pussy, two sliding in easily.

He swallowed her moan, pressing the heel of his hand against her aching clit as his fingers fucked her hard and fast. 

Once oxygen pulled them apart, Emma let out another long moan.

“That’s it,” August murmured. “No one can hear us here. Come for me, Princess.”  


“August,” Emma gasped out. “F-Fuck … Fuck me!”

“I am,” August said, his eyes dark with lust. “Trust me, Emma, I’m not going to last two seconds inside you right now. So you’re going to come all over my fingers, and then all over my face, and _then_ I’ll fuck you. Understand?”

His words and his voice, combined with the way his fingers curled in on themselves to slam against her G-spot, had Emma shattering, his name bouncing off the walls.

August slowed his movements, but didn’t stop stroking her until she had stopped shaking and opened her eyes. As soon as their gazes met, he slipped his fingers out of her and licked them clean. “I was right.”  


“About what,” Emma asked, already moving to sit up and reach for him.

“You taste incredible,” August said, gently pushing her back down. “Now, Emma, remember what I said.”

Emma knew she was flushed - how much of it was from the mind-numbing orgasm she had just had and how much of it was insecurity, she didn’t know. “You don’t have to. Most guys don’t like …”  


“Then they’re idiots,” August said simply, settling between her legs. “I’ve had dreams about this too.”

Emma narrowed her eyes, trying not to think about how his breath felt. “Really?”  


“Promised I wouldn’t lie,” August reminded her. “I’d stop by the station … and see you all riled up and frustrated. I’d offer to take the edge of.”

The image was only half-painted, but _fuck_ did it fill Emma’s head. “You’d want to be on your knees for me?”

“Pledging my fealty to my Princess,” August murmured, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh. “As well I should. Now be quiet and let me make you scream.”

Emma would have had a comeback for that - even though she was fairly sure he could deliver, given his last performance - but in the next second, he had lifted her legs so they were draped over his shoulders and his mouth was …

Dear God, what that man could do with his tongue.

He had enough of a smart mouth that Emma had hoped that he’d know how to use it in other ways - and she had to admit that this _had_ been one of her go-to fantasies as well since he had come roaring into town on his bike (and the bike featured more often than she’d like to admit as well) - but she had also had enough experience to know that most men just didn’t know what they were doing.

But August … 

Emma felt a brief spike of jealousy at the thought of all the women he must have been with to get _this_ good, but was gone in the next second when he shifted a minuscule amount and pleasure ripped through her - she wasn’t quite over the edge, but she was damn close.

He could read her like a book, she realised, taking note of every single reaction and changing his approach accordingly.

His lips closed around her clit and she gasped out his name, her hand shooting down to wind her fingers into his hair, keeping him anchored to that spot.

He moaned himself at that, and the vibrations, combined with the way his tongue flicked over her, sent her right over the edge again, vaguely aware of him groaning her name against her.

When her eyes opened again, he was lying beside her, looking exceptionally pleased with himself.

“Did I black out?” Emma murmured.

“You did,” August said smugly. “I was getting a bit worried I’d need to call for help. Not sure how I’d explain that.”

Emma let out a breathless laugh. “Are you going to fuck me now?”

August’s smirk faded into something softer and he leaned in to kiss her. “No. I’m going to make love to you.”

Her heart stuttered in her chest. “You said you weren’t going to last two minutes inside me.”

“Yes, well …” August coughed. “You letting go like that … It’s quite the sight.”

“Did you take the edge off?” Emma asked innocently. “You could have waited for me to wake up. I would have helped.”  


August groaned. “I swear, Emma; I’ve only touched _you_.”

“You mean …”  


August nodded. “I mean, you screamed my name, and I came in my pants like a school-boy.” He rose from the bed, pulling his shirt over his head, and she shifted to get more comfortable, watching him undress.

He certainly had a body one might not expect from a travelling author, except she’d seen him in enough leather to be unsurprised by that. 

She was, however, surprised by the scars - and she suddenly understood his earlier reaction to hers because hers mirrored it - not one of disgust, or pity, but anger that someone had hurt him, had left their mark when they had no right to.

She was suitably distracted, however, when he pulled his pants down, sucking in a breath when his still-hardened member was exposed to the cold air.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, her own hand running down her body to run a finger through her folds, testing her sensitivity.

She was still wet, but she seemed to have recovered from her earlier climaxes.

“Emma …” August groaned, watching her lazily finger herself.

Emma smirked, trailing her wet fingers back up her body again, leaving a glistening trail behind them. She fully intended on sucking them clean, but he caught her hand before it could reach her mouth and drawing it to his.

When his lips closed around her fingers, sucking them clean, Emma closed her eyes with another moan. “August …”  


“Tell me,” he whispered, releasing them. “Tell me you want it too.”  


“I’d say that’s obvious,” Emma said, twisting her hand to rub her thumb across his lower lip, reddened and swollen from their earlier activities.

“It’s obvious you want me to fuck you,” August said, hovering over her. “Tell me you want me to make love to you.”

He was going to do that latter whether she said it or not; she was starting to think he was incapable of touching her in any capacity without love in the gesture. 

But he knew.

For all her talk of ‘true love’, she still didn’t quite believe it. She probably wouldn’t have even admitted that she loved him if he hadn’t been dead.

He wanted her to open up.To believe that he wouldn’t hurt her. To accept that he loved her.

To _allow_ him to love her.

It scared her.

But - no.

She was Emma Swan.

She wasn’t just the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming - she was the daughter of a woman who had fought for her survival and a man who had risked his life for love. 

She wasn’t just the girl who had been abandoned by her first love - she was the mother of a boy who had faith when no one else did. 

She wasn’t just a princess - she was a sheriff, a role that she had earned, not inherited.

She had slain a dragon, broken three curses in one day, and survived six weeks in the Enchanted Forest, against ogres, wraiths, giants, pirates, and an evil witch.

She was not going to let _love_ of all things scare her.

And she was _not_ going to let the scars of her past ruin the promise of her future.

So she lifted a hand to touch his face, letting her eyes meet his openly, allowing him to see into her soul the way he always had from the first time they met.

“Make love to me,” she whispered. “Please.”

Love flickered in his eyes and he pressed his lips to hers. As he did, his cock brushed against her, before finally sliding inside.

She moaned into his mouth as his weight settled against her, her hips cradling his, and she tightened her core automatically, causing him to break the kiss with a gasp.

“You keep doing that …”  


Emma smirked up at him. “What?”

August shook his head, grinning. “You’re trouble, Princess.”

“As much as that name’s growing on me,” Emma said, “I do have an actual name.”  


“I know,” August said, shifting his attention to her neck. “Emma … Are you okay for me to move?”  


Emma nodded, sucking in her breath as he sucked another hickey into her skin. “Do it … Take me.”

She half-expected him to take her hard and fast, given the way he had fucked her with his fingers, and the way he had devoured her afterwards.

Instead, he lifted himself up to brace himself over her, thrusting into her firmly but steadily, his eyes locked on hers.

It was almost too intimate and Emma almost closed her eyes, feeling more exposed than she had expected, but …

“Keep your eyes open, Emma,” August whispered, the slightest hitch to his voice. “I want you to look at me.”  


“I’m looking,” Emma said, rolling her hips against him, smirking when he groaned.

“Minx.”  


“You love it,” Emma smirked.

“I love _you,_ ” August corrected, his movements getting just a little faster. “I love you so much, Emma. I need you to know that.”

“I … oh fuck, right there … I do.”

“I adore you,” August said breathlessly. “Think I fell in love with you in Portland just by looking at you … Came here thinking I was over it and then … there you were … taking my breath away.”

“How are …?” Emma cut herself off with a moan when he tugged one leg up around his waist, changing the angle just enough. “How are you able to form words right now?!”  


“Because loving you is as easy as breathing,” August whispered. “I don’t have to think about it. Ah, eyes open, remember?”

Emma’s eyes flew open again. “Why?”  


“Want to see you,” August said. “I want you with me. I’m yours, Emma; I need you to know that. Heart, body and soul - I have always been yours.”

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. “I love you.”

August smiled and his weight shifted. “I know.”  


A second later, his hand was between them, rubbing her clit as his cock hit just the right spot, and she was flying.

This wasn’t the explosion of pleasure of the first two, but wave upon wave that flooded over her, leaving her gasping for air, unable to do much more than clutch him, her nails digging into his arms.

“You’re going to leave a mark,” August gasped out, his movements becoming more erratic.

Frankly, she was amazed he was still holding out.

“Good,” she managed, her fingers trailing over the scratch marks she’d just left. “Then everyone will know you’re mine.”  


“Emma …” August groaned. “I can’t …”  


“Come on,” Emma urged. “Need to feel you. Inside me.”  


His last few thrusts were hard, the way he had taken her in her dreams, and on the last one, with a shout of her name, he was coming, warmth spreading through her as he filled her.

Finally, he collapsed beside her and she rolled over, feeling his cum seeping out of her as she did.

“Please tell me you’re on the pill,” he said suddenly.

“Given that I’ve been in the Enchanted Forest for six weeks,” Emma said, “you should probably be glad I’m not. I’ve got an implant.”  


“Okay, good,” August murmured. “Not that … I mean, if something happened …”  


Emma smiled, pressing a kiss to his chest. “I know. I wouldn’t have let you finish inside me if I didn’t have something in place.”  


“I should have been a bit more responsible about it,” August said apologetically.

Emma sniggered. “Seriously? There were two of us there. Also, I just had the best sex I’ve ever had, so you can drop the attitude.”  


“The best?” August asked. “Really?”

“Don’t get a big head,” Emma grumbled.

He pressed a kiss to her head and rolled out of her grip.

“Where are you going?”

It came out as a whine and she grimaced, even as he laughed.

“Relax, gorgeous. I’m just grabbing a cloth to clean you up.”  


True to his word, he was back in a few moments, gently running a washcloth over her thighs. She was half-asleep, watching through hooded eyes as he retrieved some boxers and a shirt and helped slide them on to her body - “Just in case Ruby gives Henry a spare key tomorrow morning.”

As soon as they were both more or less decent, he scooped her up and pulled the covers back.

“You’re stronger than you look,” Emma said through a yawn.

“The bike’s a surprisingly good work-out,” August said, setting her down again.

Emma reached for him as he slid in beside her, tucking herself up against him.

“Oh, you’re a cuddler,” he murmured, drawing her closer. “Didn’t see that coming.”  


“I’m not,” Emma said. “Not usually. I’m a ‘that was fun, now get out’. But I love you. And I don’t want you to go anywhere.”  


The last thing she was fully aware of before she fell asleep was his arm tightening around her. “I’m not going anywhere, Emma. I swear it."


	6. Chapter 6

Emma woke early the next morning, August’s body warm and hard against her back. She stretched languidly and felt him smile into her hair.

“Good morning.”

Emma hummed in response. “Morning. What time is it?”  


“Well, your phone’s been buzzing for the last twenty minutes,” August said, kissing her neck. “So I’m guessing past breakfast time.”  


Emma groaned, rolling over to reach across him for her phone laying on the nightstand. Sure enough, there were several missed calls from Mary - Snow - and quite a few texts. She opened the latest one first.

_MM: Emma - I don’t want to sound like a worried mom, but you did say breakfast and you’re not answering._

Emma smiled, unable to summon up any kind of annoyance. At least Henry wasn’t late for school.

Yet.

_E: Sorry - overslept. I’ll grab Henry and meet you at Granny’s in 20?_

The confirmation came back immediately and Emma sat up with another groan. “Okay; I’ve got to get up and dressed if I’m meeting my … Snow and David. Are you coming?”  


“Do you want me to?” August asked.

“Well, I could use someone to distract Henry,” Emma said. “Also, thank you for explaining the Neal thing to him.”  


“He overheard me talking to David,” August said hastily.

Emma smiled. “I know; he told me.”

“I know I probably shouldn’t have said anything to David,” August said, “but …”  


“It’s okay,” Emma said. “He was going to find out sooner or later. But thank you for putting into words what I couldn’t.”

August kissed her cheek. “That’s my job. Do I need to push you out of bed?”

Emma laughed. “Alright, I’m getting up. Maybe you can fill me in on what I’ve missed in the meantime?”  


“You missed a lot,” August said.

“That’s fine,” Emma said. “Just give me the short version.”

Ever the writer, August managed to summarise the events of the last six weeks fairly succinctly, leaving Emma’s head spinning.

“Whale is _Frankenstein?_ ”

“Yeah, goodness knows where he came from,” August said.

“And he … he brought back Regina’s fiancé?” Emma asked.

“That’s what David said,” August said with a sigh. “He didn’t come back … right. She had to kill him.”

“And that was after her mother killed him in the first place,” Emma said with a grimace, giving yesterday’s shirt a sniff. “No, I can’t wear this.”  


“Are your jeans okay?” August asked, rummaging through his own clothes. “And what do you mean her mother killed him?”  


“Did you not read the book before you let me find it again?” Emma asked.

“No, why?” August pulled out a shirt and handed it to her. “Will this do?”

It was a little large on her, but not in a ‘walk of shame’ kind of way. “Thanks. Basically, the reason Regina hated Snow White was because Snow found out about Regina and Daniel and told Cora. I mean, she thought that Cora would want her daughter to be happy rather than force her into an unhappy marriage, but Cora responded by killing Daniel.”

“So all of this happened because Regina blamed a child for being manipulated?” August asked.

Emma sighed. “I think it’s probably more that it was safer for Regina to blame Snow than it was to blame Cora. Having met the woman …”  


“She didn’t hurt you, did she?” August asked, when she trailed off.

Emma hesitated, then took a step closer. “She tried to rip my heart out.”

August paled, reaching out to tug her into his arms. “Are you …?”  


“It didn’t work,” Emma whispered. “She couldn’t do it. And then there was this pulse of white light and I blasted her away.”  


“That’s magic,” August said simply. “You have magic.”  


“But Snow and David don’t,” Emma said, resting her head against his chest, letting the reassuring rhythm of his heart soothe her. “So where did mine come from? Gold doesn’t know. I thought he’d set the whole thing up. But he was as surprised as I was.”

August pressed a kiss to her temple. “Come on. Let’s grab the kid and get to the diner before your parents come looking for you.”

Henry was at the front desk with Ruby when they got downstairs and he immediately hugged August, giving Emma a chance to speak to her friend.

“I should have thought to lend you a change of clothes,” Ruby said with a smirk.

“It’s fine,” Emma said. “Thanks for watching him.”  


“Don’t mention it,” Ruby said, leaning in closer. “Good night?”

“Ruby,” Emma hissed.

“Come on,” Ruby whispered. “Let me live vicariously. It was good, right?”

Emma glanced over to where August was patiently listening to Henry’s chatter about the night before, and allowed herself a smirk of her own. “Mind-blowing.”  


Ruby grinned, punching her arm lightly. “Good girl. I’m on the late shift. But I have had Snow on the phone already.”  


“And we’re going to be late,” Emma added, raising her voice so the boys could hear her.

“Right,” Henry said eagerly, taking her hand. “I’m hungry.”

“I did give him some toast,” Ruby said, “but I guessed you’d be having breakfast later; didn’t want to spoil his appetite. Or help him con you into a second breakfast.”

Emma chuckled. “Thanks, Rubes. Come on, kid.”

“Thanks Aunt Ruby,” Henry called over his shoulder.

They were halfway to the diner when Emma realised that Henry had taken both of their hands, happily trotting along between them. If anyone unaware of the situation saw them, they would reasonably assume that August was Henry’s father.

As if reading her mind, August caught her eye and smiled. “Still with me?” He murmured.

Emma smiled back. “Still here.”  


As they approached the diner, Regina stepped out, holding a coffee cup.

They all stopped, a kind of quiet face-off.

“Good morning Madam Mayor,” Emma said quietly. “Thank you again for yesterday.”

Regina managed a shaky smile, her eyes darting to Henry. “You’re quite welcome, Miss Swan. Your parents seem quite concerned about you.”  


“Well, I overslept,” Emma said. “August, do you mind taking Henry inside please?”

“No problem,” August said. “Come on, kid.”

Henry nodded, but let go of both of their hands to give Regina a hug. “Morning Mom.”

Regina’s hands trembled as she hugged him back. “Good morning Henry. I miss you.”

“Me too,” Henry mumbled, stepping back and allowing August to guide him into the diner.

Regina met Emma’s eyes, looking for all the world like she was squaring for a fight, but whatever she saw apparently confused her. “Do you … You’re not upset.”  


“Why would I be upset?” Emma asked. “You’re his mom. As you were all too keen on reminding me, you’re the one who raised him. Actually I was hoping that you and I could sit down and talk at some point. We both love Henry; we both want him to be happy. And I think for that to happen, we’re going to need to work together a bit.”  


Regina pulled a face, but there was something glimmering in her eyes that Emma hadn’t really seen before. Hope. “I think you’re right. Perhaps we could meet for coffee this afternoon? That way we’re both on … neutral ground so to speak.”

“That would be wonderful,” Emma said. “Text me a time; I’d better get inside before they send out a search party.” She hesitated, wondering if her next words were going to be a mistake. “I heard about Daniel. I’m so sorry.”

Regina’s breath caught in her throat. “Thank you. You’re the first to …”  


“I’m sorry for that as well,” Emma said quietly. “See you later, Regina.”

The bell over the door rang as she stepped inside, leaving the mayor outside to her thoughts.

“Emma,” Snow said, almost breathless with relief. “Are you okay?”  


“It was a civil discussion,” Emma said, sliding into the booth. “I think it might be the first civil discussion I’ve had with her since the day I arrived. Have we ordered?”  


“Not yet,” David said.

“Can we talk?” Snow asked. “You … We need to.”  


“I know we do,” Emma said, glancing at August and Henry beside her.

“Hey, kid, you know how to play pinball?” August asked.

Henry frowned. “No, why?”  


“You want to learn?” August asked.

Henry’s eyes darted to the old pinball machine in the corner. “M - Regina said it was a game of chance.”

August chuckled. “That’s because she doesn’t know how to play. Is that okay with you, Emma?”

Emma stood up to allow them to get past her. “Course. I’ll order for you.”

“Thanks Mom,” Henry said brightly.

August kissed her head as he passed and she slid back on to the bench.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

Snow reached across the table to take her hand. “You and I talked out in the Forest. We both agreed how hard this is for all of us. Difficult, sorry - hard isn’t the right word. How is this going to work?”  


Emma took a deep breath. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t know how to be a daughter and I’m not used to having people to … Well, people. So I’ll make you a deal. I will try and remember that I have you now and that I can talk to you. I’ll try and be open with you, and keep you in the loop as to what’s going on. But I need you to try and remember that I’m an adult and that I’ve been looking after myself for a long time, and that I’m not very good at opening up.”  


“We can do that,” David said quietly. “If there’s something you don’t want to open up about and we’re pushing a bit, can you tell us that rather than …”  


“Rather than snapping at you?” Emma finished with a smile. “I can. But I need to you to trust when I say I don’t want to talk about it, that I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Absolutely,” Snow agreed.

“The other thing is,” Emma hesitated. “Regina.”  


Snow and David exchanged a glance. “What about her?” Snow asked.

“I’m going to be talking to her about Henry at some point,” Emma said calmly, smiling as Ella placed a hot cocoa in front of her. “Thanks Ella.”  


“No problem,” Ella said with a smile. “You all want your usual?”  


“Please,” Emma said. “Henry will have the pancakes, but can you swap half the bacon for the fruit pot?”  


“No problem,” Ella said.

“August will have the same has me,” Emma added.

“And actually,” Snow said, “can I get that as well please? Mary Margaret has a smaller appetite than I do.”  


“How did that happen?” Emma asked, as Ella went to put the order in.

“Regina was my stepmother,” Snow pointed out. “She knows what my tastes are; it doesn’t surprise me that she was able to flip everything for me. Why are you talking to her about Henry?”

“I have to put Henry’s well-being first,” Emma said. “Keeping him away from Regina is no better than her keeping him away from me. Not to mention the fact that _legally_ she is his mother.”

“Emma …” David began.

“I know what she’s done,” Emma said. “I also read the book _and_ met Cora - I’m not surprised she snapped. I’m not naive - I know she’s dangerous.”

David sighed. “Well, as long as you’re aware of that, you can look after yourself.”  


Emma smiled. “Thank you. I am still the Sheriff. Henry,” she called as Ella brought the plates over, sliding further along to allow August and Henry to come and sit down. “Please tell me you weren’t teaching him how to cheat.”  


“Would I do that?” August asked innocently.

Emma rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to …”  


A scream went up across the street, shrill and panicked, and August caught Henry’s arm before he could sit down. “Let your mom out.”  


“Emma …” David began.  


“I’ll call you if I need to,” Emma said, already on her way to the door. “Stay there.”

She had barely left the diner when Ruby collided with her, her face as white as a sheet and streaked with tears.

“It’s Archie,” she sobbed. “Quickly!”

Pongo was dancing around their feet, Emma realised, whining and barking in a way that he never did. 

Her heart in her mouth, she took Ruby’s hand and allowed herself to be dragged to Archie’s apartment across the street.

The former cricket was lying on his back beside his coffee table, glasses askew and eyes closed.

Ruby grabbed Pongo’s collar to keep him still as Emma dropped to her knees beside him, checking his pulse.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Ruby whispered. “Please tell me I’m wrong.”  


Emma closed her eyes, breathing deeply and counting to ten in her head. “You’re not.”  


Ruby let out another sob and Emma rose to her feet, wrapping the other woman in a hug before she had really decided to do so.

As Ruby clung to her and began crying in earnest, Emma pulled out her phone and called August.

_“I’m still only across the street,”_ he greeted.

“Is Henry in earshot?” Emma asked quietly.

_“Hang on.”_

Emma waited for August to make his excuses and move away from her family, realising at the same time that Marc- Geppetto and Jiminy were close and that August might not be the best person to turn to.

_“Okay, what’s up?”_

Emma grimaced. “Can you make sure Henry gets to school for me?”  


_“You couldn’t have told me that while I was with him?”_

Emma hesitated. “I … There’s something I need to tell you. I don’t want to do it on the phone and I don’t want Henry to find out until he has to.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. _“That was Ruby that screamed. I can still hear her crying. She had an appointment with Archie this morning. What’s happened to him?”_

“August …”

_“Tell me.”_

Emma closed her eyes, stroking Ruby’s hair. “He’s dead.”


	7. Chapter 7

Emma left Gold’s shop with her parents’ voices ringing in her ears and Pongo trotting along at her feet.

She had finally convinced her parents that, as the Sheriff, she needed to go and speak to Regina alone, not least because there was something strange about the whole thing.

She hadn’t seen August since breakfast; he had walked Henry to the bus stop (and watched him get on the bus) and then gone straight to his father’s workshop to break the news.

On the way to Regina’s house, she was approached several times by people who wanted to know if she was going to arrest the Evil Queen.

How they’d even found out about Archie, she didn’t know - Snow was supposed to have taken Ruby straight to the loft after the discovery and made sure she stayed there.

On question number six, she finally snapped. “Look, I am doing my job. My job is to investigate, not arrest the most likely suspect without question. If I was going to do that, I would have arrested David after Kathryn’s disappearance and then taken the week off.”

Dr Whale (because of course it would have been him) muttered something under his breath and hastily took his leave.

Emma rolled her eyes, scratching Pongo’s head when he butted it against her leg. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go and see what’s going on.”  


Regina answered the door immediately, looking genuinely startled to see her. “Miss Swan. Come to apologise on your mother’s behalf?”  


Emma sighed. “Seriously? What part of ‘look after Ruby and don’t go after Regina’ was difficult?”  


Regina smirked. “Welcome to my world.”

Pongo whined, nudging his nose against Regina’s hand, and she crouched down to rub his ears. “I assume you’re here about Dr Hopper.”

Emma watched her with Pongo for a few seconds. “I didn’t know you were a dog person.”  


“I’m not, really,” Regina said. “But our morning walks crossed paths every day. We’d exchange a few words, normally about the weather, and he’s a very affectionate dog.”

“I am here about Dr Hopper,” Emma said, making her mind up. “May I come in?”  


Regina nodded, stepping back to allow Emma - and Pongo, surprisingly - to step inside. “Can I get you a drink?”  


“I shouldn’t,” Emma said. “I’m on duty.”  


“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Regina said.

Emma laughed. “I thought you hated me.”

“I did,” Regina admitted. “I hated the idea of you more, though. And what you said this morning - you’re right. Henry doesn’t need us at each other’s throats.”

Emma followed her through to the kitchen, taking a seat at the island while Pongo curled up at her feet. “In all seriousness, we have a problem.”  


“Of course we do,” Regina said. “There’s a murderer on the loose and everyone thinks it’s me. So let’s cut to the chase: I had no issue with Dr Hopper. I appreciate some people may have noticed us having a heated discussion a few days ago, but that was because he was trying to convince me to talk to someone about … everything, and I was a bit resistant to that. I was here all last night, I never left the house, and, no, I don’t have anyone to confirm that.”  


“I was afraid of that,” Emma said with a sigh.

“Miss Swan, if I was going to kill someone, do you really think it would be him?” Regina asked.

“No,” Emma said. “I would have put money on Whale, actually.”

Regina scoffed. “That’s … That would be a good bet to be fair.”  


Emma smirked. “Better hope he doesn’t drop dead then.” She sighed again. “Look - Regina - that’s not the point. I have magic.”  


“You do?” Regina asked, sounding startled.

Emma nodded. “I mean, I figured it out when your mother tried to rip my heart out and couldn’t, but Gold taught me a spell just now to see what Pongo saw last night.”  


“And?” Regina asked. “If you know who killed him, why are you here?”  


Emma grimaced. “Because I watched _you_ kill him.”  


Regina went very, very still. “What?”

Emma reached into her jacket and pulled out the dreamcatcher, holding it up to the light. “It’s all here.”

Regina slowly reached out and took it. As the dreamcatcher glowed, Emma bent down to stroke Pongo’s head, unwilling to watch it again.

“I didn’t …” Regina cleared her throat and put the dreamcatcher down. “I didn’t do that. That wasn’t me.”  


“I know,” Emma said.

“How?” Regina asked. “How can you possibly trust …?”  


“Because it makes no sense,” Emma said flatly. “You know magic. You’d know that Pongo’s memories could be used like that. That wasn’t a crime of passion; that was a cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder. Whoever that was went there specifically to kill him. Why in God’s name would you go to so much trouble, only to leave a witness? Not to mention, I know when people are lying. Call it my superpower. You’re not lying. But neither is Gold. So if neither of you killed him, who did?”  


“Whoever it was knows magic,” Regina murmured, “and is trying to frame me.” 

Emma shook her head slowly. “But it’s only the fairies who know magic. Isn’t it?”

“None of them have it in them,” Regina said darkly. “What do we do now?”  


“I’m going to tell my parents that I tried to arrest you and you disappeared,” Emma said flatly. “If it looks like I believe you did it, maybe we can smoke them out.”  


“What about Henry?” Regina asked quietly. “He’ll …”  


“I’ll have to tell him about Archie,” Emma said heavily. “I should be able to avoid anything else. We shouldn’t be telling him about ongoing cases anyway.”  


“But what if he thinks it’s me?” Regina asked.

“Then I’ll tell him the truth,” Emma said. “That I don’t believe it is.”

Regina nodded. “Hang on.” She hurried out of the kitchen and Emma waited, feeling Pongo huff against her leg.

“Don’t fall asleep on me,” she murmured to him. “I’m taking you back to Geppetto in a minute.”  


When Regina returned, she was holding a very old stuffed dragon, which she handed over after a moment of hesitation. “It’s Henry’s, from when he was a baby. He stopped sleeping with it when he was about six, said he was too old, but whenever he was upset … Well, it always popped up again.”  


Emma smiled, a lump forming in her throat as she looked at the dragon. “Thank you.”  


“Don’t mention it.”

“No,” Emma said quietly. “Thank you. You said, when I first arrived, that I signed over my rights and wanted nothing to do with him, but that wasn’t true. I grew up in the system. I knew that it was easier for kids to be adopted if there were no strings attached. That’s the only reason I made it a closed adoption. And it haunted me right up until the moment Henry knocked on my door. What if he wasn’t adopted? What if he was, and they gave him back, like I was? What if he was miserable? What if he was like me? Crying himself to sleep every night wondering why Mommy didn’t love him.”

“Miss Swan …” Regina began.

“I was so relieved when I got here,” Emma said. “That was what I was going to say to you. When I brought him home the second time and told you that I’d wished for a family on my birthday candle. That I’d done the right thing by giving him up, because you clearly adored him, and he was so lucky. Much luckier than me,” she added quietly.

“So you’re saying,” Regina said, “that if I’d just kept my mouth shut, you probably would have left town and not thought any more about it.”

Emma smirked. “The lady doth protest too much. The more you tried to get rid of me, the more I worried that there was something wrong.”

“Well, then, we’d better learn from our mistakes,” Regina said. “I give you my word, Miss Swan, that I will be completely honest with you going forwards, and I will trust you to do right by our son, if you extend me the same courtesy.”

Emma shook her hand. “Deal.”

***

Emma walked to the bus stop to pick up Henry via Geppetto’s workshop to drop Pongo off - it made sense for Archie’s best friend in Storybrooke to stay with his best friend from the Enchanted Forest.

She was not surprised to find that August was still there, but she _was_ surprised to find him sitting outside the shop, his head in his hands, rather than inside with his father.

As soon as he picked up the scent, Pongo raced away from her, jumping up at August to lick his face.

August cracked a smile, rubbing the dog’s head. “Hey buddy. Is she under arrest?”

“No,” Emma said quietly, sitting down beside him. “She didn’t do it.”

“How can you be so sure?” August asked. “Your father called me; he told me about the dreamcatcher.”  


“Regina wouldn’t leave a witness,” Emma said. “I have a superpower, remember? I’ve ignored it in the past, and I’ve been wrong.”

“I trust your gut,” August said heavily. “You need to get to Henry.”

Emma took his hand. “I’ve got time. Are you okay?”  


“No,” August said honestly.

Emma glanced towards the workshop door. “Is he?”  


“He’s grieving,” August said. “He’s lost his best friend and his son. That’s hard on anyone.”

Emma frowned. “But _you’re_ his son. You have told him that, right?”  


“He knows,” August murmured. “You need to go.”

“You’re avoiding things,” Emma said gently. “You know you can talk to me.”  


“I know.” August managed a very weak smile. “I love you.”  


Emma hesitated, but leaned over to kiss him softly. “I love you too. I’ll see you tonight?”  


“Henry’s going to need you.”

“You need me too,” Emma said.

“Henry comes first,” August said, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’ll be okay.”

Emma wasn’t convinced, but he was right about her son (and she loved him even more for it). So with one last kiss, she left him with Pongo, and set off in the direction of the bus stop.

She half-expected her parents to be there as well, and was half-disappointed when they weren’t; she could have used moral support for this.

On the other hand, they were fully convinced of Regina’s guilt, and she was fully convinced of her innocence, so maybe it was for the best.

When the bus pulled up, Emma took a deep breath, bracing herself. As the bus emptied, the nervous anticipation in her gut began to blossom into worry, as her son did not appear with the rest of his classmates.

Just as she was about to really start panicking, he appeared at the top of the steps, one of the last to disembark, a girl hovering at his shoulder.

Emma raised an eyebrow in silent question as they approached her, the unknown girl gripping Henry’s hand tightly, but as they drew closer she realised that this was _not_ a first girlfriend situation.

“Henry, are you alright - you look like you’re about to pass out.”

“Is it true?” Henry croaked out.

“What?” Emma asked.

“I … She …”

“Hi Sheriff Swan,” the girl said, her voice strong but shaking a little. “I’m Grace.”

Grace … Of course she was. Emma recognised her from before the curse, when her name was Paige and she was …

“Jefferson’s daughter,” Emma said.

Grace managed a small smile. “That’s right. Someone at school said something horrible to Henry at lunch time. I tried to get him to tell a teacher, but he wanted to get it from you.”

“What did they say?” Emma asked.

“They … They …”

“They said that Dr Hopper is dead,” Grace said quietly, “and that Mayor Mills killed him.”  


Emma’s heart dropped into her stomach, and she bit back her immediate questions for the sake of trying to comfort her son. “Henry … Let’s go and sit down.”  


“Is it true?!” Henry demanded.

Emma sighed. “I don’t believe that Regina was responsible. But I’m afraid Dr Hopper is dead.”

Henry’s face crumpled and Emma pulled him into her arms as he began to cry. He didn’t let go of Grace’s hand, so Emma didn’t miss the way that she welled up as well.

Emma wasn’t great with children. Her relationship with Henry was one that she had managed to form through emotion-driven instinct.

All other children were usually a different matter entirely.

Still she had one child breaking down already - one more would hardly make a difference. As she guided Henry - and Grace by default - to the nearest bench, she pulled Henry on to her lap, ignoring the fact that he was probably a bit too old for it, and freed one arm to wrap around Grace.

The girl leaned into her gratefully, beginning to cry as well. “It’s not fair.”  


“It never is,” Emma said quietly. “But I will find out what happened, alright?”  


“But Mom didn’t do it?” Henry asked shakily.

“I don’t believe so, no,” Emma murmured. “It makes no sense for it to be her. Who told you about what happened?”  


“One of the other kids,” Grace answered. “I don’t know her name.”  


“Whose class is she in?” Emma asked.

Grace shrugged. “Don’t know. I didn’t recognise her. I could probably draw her though. Maybe Miss Blanchard … Sorry - maybe the Princess would recognise her.”  


“That would be very helpful, Grace,” Emma said, releasing her so she could dive into her school bag. “Henry, are you okay?”  


Henry scrubbed at his eyes. “No.”

Emma smiled sadly, letting him slide off her lap to sit beside her, passing him a tissue. “I hear you.”  


“Is August okay?” Henry asked.

“He’s with his father,” Emma said, dropping a kiss on his forehead. “I don’t think so.”  


“Are you going to see him tonight?” Henry asked.

“No, I’m staying with you,” Emma said firmly. “Grace, something tells me if you don’t get home at the expected time, your dad’s going to panic.”  


“You’re right,” Grace said, scribbling in her sketchpad. “I can calm him down though.”  


“I’ve got a better idea,” Emma said, pulling out her phone. “I’ll drive you home.”

Grace smiled. “Thanks, Sheriff Swan.”

Emma couldn’t actually remember getting Jefferson’s number - she assumed that he must have added it to her phone at some point between kidnapping her and being kicked out a window.

_“Sheriff Swan - to what do I owe the pleasure?”_

“Henry had a bad day at school,” Emma said, not bothering with pleasantries. “Grace has very kindly helped him, so she’s going to be a bit late; I’m going to give her a ride home.”

There was a brief pause. _“Is everything okay?”_

Emma hesitated. “No, but it’s nothing you need to worry about. I don’t suppose you’ve noticed anything … odd recently, have you?”

_“Aside from the invisible ship, no.”_

Emma frowned. “Sorry - the what?”

_“I’ll show you when you get here; it’s hard to explain.”_

“Finished,” Grace said brightly, so Emma thanked Jefferson and hung up the phone.

“Thank you; that’s …” Emma trailed off, staring at the picture she’d been given. It was far from a perfect portrait, but it was far better than she had expected and certainly good enough to act as a composite drawing. “Grace, this is fantastic!”

Grace turned a little pink. “Thanks.”

“Grace is really good,” Henry said, causing the girl’s blush to deepen, and Emma to reassess her earlier dismissal of Grace as a potential girlfriend.

There was, at least, a one-sided crush here.

Still, she had far more to worry about right now than childhood crushes.

“Okay, come on then. My car’s not far.” 

As they walked, Emma sent a quick text to Snow, letting her know that she was dropping one of Henry’s friends home, intentionally not mentioning that it was Grace.

Instead, she texted August as well.

_Taking Grace home - Jefferson reckons he’s seen something. If you haven’t heard from me in half an hour, send help._

She was fairly sure that Jefferson was no longer a threat, not now his daughter was home, but it was certainly better to be safe than sorry.

Henry insisted on letting Grace take the front seat, something that made Emma irrationally proud of him, and she drove them out to Jefferson’s isolated house near the edge of town.

He was waiting for them at the door and swept his daughter up in a hug that settled Emma’s nerves even further.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” he said.

“No problem,” Emma said. “Where’s this … odd thing then?”

Thankfully, Jefferson seemed to agree with her decision not to be any clearer around the kids. “I’ll show you. Can I offer you a cup of tea?”  


“Very funny,” Emma said dryly, seeing a glint of humour in his eyes. “I assume that you’re feeling better?”  


“Much better,” Jefferson said. “And I apologise for my behaviour.”  


“With hindsight, I’m not surprised you were desperate,” Emma said. “But I appreciate the apology.”

He led her to where his telescope was still set up, pointing in the direction of the town.

“Obviously you don’t need to watch Grace anymore,” Emma said.

“No,” Jefferson agreed. “But there’s a pod of dolphins that sometimes passes through the bay. Grace really wants to see them, so I’m keeping an eye out. And then I saw this.” He took a look and adjusted the angle, before stepping back and gesturing for her to look as well.

Hesitantly, Emma bent down to take a look. At first, she could not figure out what he was talking about; all she could see was the docks, various people milling around, the fishmongers cleaning the day’s catch, Frederick and Abigail going for a jog … 

“Okay, what am I supposed to be seeing?”

“There are three boats, right?” Jefferson asked.

“Yes,” Emma answered slowly. “One right on the left, and then two to the right.”  


“Okay, look at the empty space,” Jefferson said. “At the sky.”

Emma did so, but she still couldn’t see anything. And then, suddenly, she realised.

“Are those birds … landing on thin air?”  


“Yes!” Jefferson said. “You do see it then?”  


“Yeah, I do,” Emma said, straightening up. “Like they’re landing on something we can’t see.”

“An invisible ship,” Jefferson said. “It’s about the height of a mast.”

“Well, I know where I’m going tomorrow,” Emma said. “Thanks.”  


“Don’t mention it,” Jefferson said. “What’s happened anyway?”  


Emma sighed. “Dr Hopper has been murdered.”

Jefferson cursed under his breath. “Seriously?”  


Emma nodded. “All the evidence is pointing at Regina, but …”  


“She didn’t do it,” Jefferson said.

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Really?”  


“I don’t trust her,” Jefferson said darkly, “and I certainly don’t like her. But if she did it, there wouldn’t be any evidence.”

“That’s my thought,” Emma agreed, “but I need to get Henry home.”  


“Of course.” Jefferson showed her back downstairs, where Henry and Grace were talking - or rather, Grace was talking and Henry was listening.

Emma couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but it looked like a pep talk, and when the two parents reappeared, Grace reached out and gave Henry a brief hug.

Emma bid them both goodbye and led her son back to the car, sending August a quick text to confirm that she’d left and that all had gone well.

“What did he want to show you?” Henry asked.

“Nothing,” Emma said, not untruthfully.  


“Mom,” Henry protested.

“Henry,” Emma said firmly, pulling out of the driveway. “This is a murder investigation. I cannot discuss it with _anyone_ outside the investigation, and that includes you.”  


“You’ll talk to August,” Henry muttered.

“August is an honorary deputy,” Emma said. “And he’s not a child.”  


“He’s not a deputy,” Henry said, apparently ignoring the second half of the sentence.

“Honorary deputy,” Emma repeated.

“What does that mean?” Henry asked.

“He brings me coffee and makes me take breaks,” Emma said. “By the way, there’s something for you in my bag.”  


Henry twisted round to retrieve it from the back seat and pulled out the stuffed dragon. “Is this …?”  


“Your mom thought you might need it,” Emma said gently.

Henry smiled, apparently sufficiently distracted from Jefferson’s information, giving Emma some time to try and sort through what had happened.

She had a dead cricket-turned-therapist, a framed Evil Queen, a mysterious schoolgirl, and an invisible ship.

She was fairly sure most sheriffs didn’t have this problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm marking this as complete. It's not - not by a long shot - but this was also initially just a Wooden Swan drabble that got way out of hand. And if I'm going to do a full multi-chap story, I'm going to do it right. So I'm leaving this here, and will be back shortly with a properly thought-out story.


	8. New Story

A few people asked me to note here when the new story was up - I'll be posting it in just a few minutes under the name 'Ohana Means Family'. The first few chapters will involve sort of rewrites of this story and then continue in a more planned way to the season 3 mid-season finale, and then there'll be a sequel 'Family Means Nobody Gets Left Behind' which will continue to the end of season 6 and beyond. 


End file.
